Gluten-Free Apple Cake.

So I'm on Day 12 of being completely gluten-free and it has been a challenge, but not as challenging as I expected. Sure, I miss bread - especially ciabatta - but there are yummy replacements for almost everything.

My first adventure in gluten-free baking was a complete failure. I even cried. I was already feeling emotionally fragile about having unexplainable symptoms for 6 months, then when I tried to make scones (which I was craving) they ended up tasting like sprouts. Sick.

So tonight, I attempted more gluten-free baking, but this time I tried to adapt a recipe that's been a family staple for years. It's an apple bundt cake that's to die for. I experimented by substituting Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour and an appropriate amount of xanthan gum to hold it all together, and it came out like a dream! We honestly could not tell a difference. That, in my book, is sweet victory! We even had company over and they asked for seconds. Seconds! Trust me, had it been those scones, they wouldn't have asked for any more. :)

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup oil

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill GF Flour*

1 3/4 tsp. xanthan gum*

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups chopped, raw, peeled apples

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar together. Mix flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and mix well. Batter will be thick. Add apples and mix. Nuts may also be added. Spoon batter into greased bundt pan. Bake approximately 1 hour at 350°F. Cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

*If you don't care about it being gluten-free, just use 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and no xanthan gum.